BMW i5 - Electric motors, performance & drive

Our preferred version of i5 is the single electric motor eDrive40, which in either Sport Edition, M Sport, or M Sport Pro form puts out 335bhp and 400Nm of torque. With numbers like that, you’d be forgiven for thinking that its 6.0 second 0-62mph sprint is a little conservative, but you must remember, this is no lightweight. Indeed, at 2,205kg, this is a rather portly executive saloon. We still think most will find its initial acceleration off the line brisk enough, but you’ll notice this surge tails off fairly quickly as you approach motorway speeds.

The dual motor M60 xDrive somewhat solves this problem. It’s the all-wheel drive model with additional four-wheel drive traction, plus 593bhp and an earth-moving 795Nm of torque. This all means the M60 can launch from rest to 62mph in 3.8 seconds – provided you engage the ‘Boost’ mode paddle on the steering wheel before setting off.

Despite its maker's claims, the standard i5 certainly doesn’t handle as deftly as a BMW 3 Series or BMW i4. It feels suitably tied down in a typical BMW way and offers plenty of grip. However, we didn’t find the steering to be as sharp or reactive as the existing 5 Series, nor does it have the responsiveness, precision, or satisfyingly progressive feeling of weight as the Audi e-tron GT. The i5 feels like a car designed for comfort over outright driving fun.

On the upside, the ride is excellent, and it controls body movements so well that it’s unflappably stable at high speeds. That’s in contrast to the Mercedes EQE, which feels floaty over undulations on the motorway. You can add Adaptive Suspension Professional for M Sport and M Sport Pro models, or Adaptive Suspension Professional Pro for M60 versions to get – you’ve guessed it – adaptive suspension. This allows you to tailor a comfortable ride on rough sections of road, or firm things up for a twisty B road.

Adding this option also gives you ‘integral active’ four-wheel steering; it helps to reduce the turning circle and make low-speed manoeuvres when parking easier, and at higher speeds, make the car turn into a corner more sharply. The Pro version on M60 models adds active roll control to help keep the i5 on an even keel when cornering hard at speed, and give the impression of greater agility. We weren’t sure that this technology could make the M60 feel nimble given this model’s 2,305kg weight, but it does a remarkable job of disguising such heft through the bends, giving this version far better handling than most large electric saloons.

Unlike many of its rivals, the i5 doesn’t feature paddles behind the steering wheel to alter the strength of the regenerative braking. You can put the gearbox in a B-mode regenerative braking setting, although the rate at which you slow down once you lift off the accelerator isn’t strong enough to offer a one-pedal driving mode, as you’ll find in the cheaper iX3. 

The acoustic glazing and a quiet electric motor help contribute to low ambient noise levels, making the i5 a seriously refined place to be. Below 30mph, road noise is almost imperceptible, while at higher speeds, you’re very well insulated from the sound of wind rushing over the car or from the roar of the tyres on the road surface.